5G - Page 11 of 74

Sony will announce its next Xperia phone on April 14th

Sony has, in a very low-key way, just announced that its upcoming Xperia event will be on April 14th (via Droid Life). The news comes from the Xperia YouTube channel’s banner, where it lays out that there will be a new product announcement happening at 4:30PM Japan Standard Time — that’s 3:30AM EST, or 12:30AM PT (if you feel like burning the midnight oil to watch live).

The banner gives no real hints as to what will be announced, but there have been a few rumors floating around — one about a new flagship, the Xperia 1 III, and one about the return of the Xperia Compact, which could end up being an Android answer to the iPhone Mini.

Image: Sony

It’s worth noting that there are other rumors that mention new versions of the Xperia 5 and 10, leaving out the Compact entirely. But pretty much every rumor indicates that we’ll see a new entry in the flagship Xperia 1 line. Leaks indicate that the 1 III will have a periscope zoom lens, and Techradar recently published what could be the full specs. It’s mostly what’s expected from a flagship Android phone: Snapdragon 888, 12GB of memory, 5G, and a 4K 120Hz screen.

It’s probably a safe bet that if there’s only one phone being announced (which is hinted at by the singular “product” in the image from Sony), the Xperia 1 III would be it — the 1 line seems to be on a yearly cycle. The Compact is much more of a wildcard — the last time Sony released a “Compact” branded phone was in 2018, though it does use the word to market the Xperia 5 II, with its 6.1-inch screen, which is around the same size as an iPhone 12 Pro or Galaxy S21. The rumors for a 2021 version of the Compact say that it’ll have a 5.5-inch display, which is only a tiny bit bigger than the screen on an iPhone Mini.

Both potential phones are rumored to come with headphone jacks. As for what we’ll actually see on the day, only time will tell — but thankfully there’s not much of it left.

Samsung created a whole Hulu series that’s sponcon for the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

Samsung wants you to know its new phone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, is good at capturing photos. Maybe you could outwardly tell from its five image sensors, including four on the back, that the company takes mobile photography seriously. But if not, you now have an entire Hulu series to watch in which the S21 Ultra 5G is the main character.

The company announced today it’s created a branded Hulu show called Exposure where up-and-coming photographers compete in challenges to be crowned “America’s best mobile photographer.” The show will debut on April 26th, and it entirely centers on the S21 Ultra 5G; it’s the only device contestants will use to capture their images. This is Samsung’s best attempt at showing off its phone in less of a commercial format — although, in reality, this show is an extended commercial.

Branded content is nothing new for TV. But typically, these partnerships are more covert. Maybe the device someone uses is a specific phone that they mention aloud, or the hosts of a show drive a specific car that lingers on the screen for a second longer than expected. Exposure is, instead, a full-out admittance from Samsung that it is so invested in making sure people know about its camera technology that it’s willing to spend money on an entire series.

For what it’s worth, Verge reviewer Dieter Bohn said the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s cameras did live up to the hype when he reviewed the device in January. “The camera system on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best I’ve used on any Android phone and is extremely competitive with the iPhone 12 Pro Max,” he wrote.

These Exposure contestants will likely capture quality images. You just have to be okay with the fact that you’re watching content that Samsung approves and wants you to see.

Unizyx CEO Reportedly Says Networking Chip Supply Is at a 30-Year Low

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It might be time to add another supply issue to the list. Unizyx CEO Gordon Yang said the company is suffering the worst networking chip shortage in 30 years, DigiTimes today reported, and that it will likely have to raise its prices as a result.

Unizyx offers a wide array of networking products via its Zyxel and MitraStar DMS brands. Right now it’s seeing increased demand because several next-generation technologies—5G networks, Wi-Fi 6, and Wi-Fi 6E—are all becoming more popular.

Yang told DigiTimes that Unizyx can’t source enough networking chips to meet that demand. Even if it could, rising component and transportation costs would likely result in higher prices for Unizyx products anyway, according to the report.

That ought to sound familiar by now. Not just the networking chip shortage, although the global chip shortage is front-of-mind for many companies, but also the fact that transportation costs have risen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus made it much harder for the shipping industry to ferry raw materials, components, and finished products around the world. That difficulty naturally resulted in higher transportation costs for… pretty much everyone.

That might change this year. MSI chairman Joseph Hsu said in March that he expected transportation costs to fall as the shipping industry recovers from the pandemic, and those savings could eventually be passed on to consumers.

But for now, the networking chip situation Yang described sounds a lot like many other parts of the industry, from CPUs and GPUs to mobile processors and SSD controllers, along with other components we simply haven’t been able to cover.

Unlike those issues, however, it’s not clear how much the networking chip shortage will affect consumers in the near term. It’s nearly impossible to find the best CPUs or the best graphics cards, and the best SSDs are likely to follow in the near future. Gauging the effect this could have on 5G wireless or Wi-Fi 6 and 6E rollouts is harder.

TSMC to Invest $100 Billion in Fabs and R&D Over Next Three Years

(Image credit: TSMC)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. via Yahoo Finance / Bloomberg today said it would invest $100 billion over the next three years in new manufacturing capacities as well as research and development (R&D). The investments in advanced fabs will increase TSMC’s lead over rivals and will ensure that the company introduces new fabrication technologies in a predictable cadence.

“TSMC is entering a period of higher growth as the multiyear megatrends of 5G and HPC are expected to fuel strong demand for our semiconductor technologies in the next several years,” a statement by TSMC reads. “In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic also accelerates digitalization in every aspect. In order to keep up with demand, TSMC expects to invest $100 billion over the next three years to increase capacity to support the manufacturing and R&D of advanced semiconductor technologies. TSMC is working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner.”

Earlier this year TSMC announced plans to radically increase its capital expenditure (CapEx) budget to $25 ~ $28 billion, an increase of 45% ~ 62% year-over-year from $17.2 billion in 2020. Last year the company spent about $3.72 billion on R&D, or about 8.2% of its revenue.

Gradual increases of R&D and CapEx budgets at leading makers of semiconductors are generally in line with expectations. New process technologies are getting more expensive to develop, whereas new fabs are getting larger and more expensive to build. For example, a 3nm/5nm-capable fab costs around $20 billion. Therefore, announcing a three-year $100 billion investment plan is not particularly surprising for TSMC as in the coming years it will have to build a 2nm-capable fab (or two).

TSMC says that demand for chips is so high that it has been running its fabs at full load for about a year and supply is still falling short of the increased demand, which is why it needs additional fabs and new employees. To support its capacity expansion, the company intends to suspend wafer price cuts for a year from the start of 2022, reports Bloomberg citing a letter from TSMC’s CEO to the company’s clients.

Meanwhile TSMC is announcing its intention to pour in $100 billion in chip development and manufacturing just a week after Intel outlined its Integrated Device Manufacturing 2.0 plan under which the largest CPU maker in the world plans to become a competitor for TSMC. So far, Intel has announced plans to spend $20 billion on two production facilities in Arizona and said it would invest in expansion of chip manufacturing in other parts of the world.

TSMC Chairman: No Need to Expand Fabs in U.S. and Europe

(Image credit: TSMC)

Marc Liu, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., believes that it is economically unrealistic to expand production of semiconductors in the U.S. and Europe as this will create excessive capacity that will generate losses. TSMC has enough capacity currently to serve demand for chips, Liu said.

There are less than a dozen of companies and several countries on the planet that can make chips using advanced process technologies such as those found in the best CPUs. Historically, makers of semiconductors have built their multi-billion fabs in countries that had enough qualified workforce and could offer incentives to those willing to invest in manufacturing capacities.

Nowadays TSMC is the only contract maker of semiconductors that can manufacture chips using sub-12 nm nodes, but since demand for chips is exceeding supply, there is a shortage of chips that affects local economies in the U.S. and Europe.

To make the matters even more disturbing for Europe, the routes from Southeast Asia to the E.U. got more dangerous in the recent years due to piracy in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia as well as near Western Africa. Due to increasing concentration of chipmaking in Taiwan, chip shortages, increasing geopolitical risks, and local incidents like the recent Suez Canal blockage, politicians from Europe are now exploring ways to build additional fabs within their own borders. Meanwhile, The U.S. government as well as the States of Arizona, New York, and Texas are willing to support local chip manufacturing.

Modern semiconductor manufacturing facilities have to be very large to make financial sense and cost tens of billions of dollars. But since usual demand for chips does not always peak, such huge fabs may stand idle at times, generating massive losses for their owners, says Liu.

“Uncertainties led to double booking, but actual capacity is larger than demand,” said Liu, who is also the chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, reports Bloomberg. “How quickly those concerns are resolved really depends on future U.S.-China negotiations.”

In addition to uncertainties caused by geopolitics as well as pandemic, there are looming megatrends — 5G, AI, HPC, and edge computing — that will drive demand for chips. At present, it is hard to predict how high that demand will be, but these four emerging applications may be deemed strategically important, which means that governments may be willing to support manufacturing within their borders in a bid to diversify supplies and reduce risks even at high costs.

All of TSMC’s advanced fabs are located in Taiwan, but last year the company decided to build a 5nm-capable facility in the U.S. to serve local customers, so the company itself understands importance of production in the states for some of its clients

Excessive chip production capacities will affect pricing and profitability of manufacturers, so neither TSMC nor other foundries are interested in building them. But since chips are increasingly becoming strategically important, localization of their production may be something that will be supported both by politicians as well as large companies that consume chips, so TSMC might just have to start building fabs outside of Taiwan to stay competitive.

Caterpillar is bringing its newest rugged phone to the US for $699

The Cat S62 Pro — and that’s Cat as in Caterpillar, the construction company — is now available in the US. The rugged smartphone is the latest device to feature Cat branding (it’s technically a product of licensee Bullitt Group) and builds on its predecessors’ integrated thermal camera capabilities. It’s designed with construction and industrial workers in mind, and at $699, it’s a more attractively priced follow up to 2018’s S61, which debuted in the US at $899.

Introduced last summer for sale in the UK, the S62 Pro features solid (if not super competitive) phone specs, which isn’t guaranteed in the rugged phone class. You’ll get a 5.7-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 660 processor with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,000mAh battery. But unlike mainstream midrange devices launching now, you won’t get 5G connectivity or Android 11 pre-installed; it ships with Android 10 and Cat says it will provide an update to 11. While the S62 Pro is significantly less expensive than its predecessor, it no longer offers the air quality and distance measurement sensors, and uses a slightly smaller battery (compared to 4,500mAh).

Photo: Cat Phones

That’s the boring stuff. The exciting bits that the S62 Pro has to offer include its marquee feature: a built-in Flir thermal imaging camera with four times as many thermal pixels as its predecessor. The phone offers new modes that allow users to adjust and blend overlaid information from the standard 12-megapixel camera, providing more context to the thermal image. There’s also an option to set an alarm that will notify you when a certain temperature level is detected.

As for its rugged credentials, the S62 Pro is rated at IP68 and IP69: the first indicates that it’s safe to submerge in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, the second that it can withstand high pressure spray. The company says it’s been tested against even harsher conditions than this, but is warrantied to the level of those official IP ratings.

The S62 is built to withstand harsh work environments.

Photo: Cat Phones

It can withstand drops of up to six feet onto a steel surface, and its Gorilla Glass 6 screen is bolstered by an additional factory-fitted screen protector. The S62 Pro also meets requirements of the MIL-STD-810 military standard, including vibration and thermal shock resistance.

The S62 Pro isn’t currently available through any of the major US carriers, but is being offered unlocked directly from Cat phones and third parties including Amazon and Home Depot.

Verizon says it will shut down its 3G network — for real this time — on December 31st, 2022

After years of delays, Verizon says it will finally shut down its 3G CDMA network at the end of 2022 — and the company means it this time.

Verizon initially targeted 2021 for the shutdown and later revised with a more ambitious goal of 2019. That didn’t happen, and as recently as January 2021, the company said the plan was on hold indefinitely. Now, Verizon has confirmed an official shutdown date of December 31st, 2022, and a statement that “the date will not be extended again” on the company’s news site leaves no room for ambiguity.

This move won’t affect anyone who has activated a phone with Verizon in the past few years; the company stopped activating 3G-only phones in 2018. Verizon is also keen to point out that it will be the last major US carrier to take its 3G network offline. AT&T says it will shut down its network in February 2022, and T-Mobile is aiming for January 1st, 2022, which could cause serious problems for millions of Dish Network’s Boost Mobile customers.

If you happen to still be using a 3G device on Verizon at this point (well done, you!), then you’ll need to upgrade to something 4G-compatible by the end of 2022 to keep using the network — and it might be a good idea to go for a 5G device at this point just to stay ahead of the next curve.

Arm’s first new architecture in a decade is designed for security and AI

Chip designer Arm has announced Armv9, its first new chip architecture in a decade following Armv8 way back in 2011. According to Arm, Armv9 offers three major improvements over the previous architecture: security, better AI performance, and faster performance in general. These benefits should eventually trickle down to devices with processors based on Arm’s designs.

It’s an important milestone for the company, whose designs power almost every smartphone sold today, as well as increasing numbers of laptops and even servers. Apple announced its Mac computers’ transition to its own Arm-based processors last year, and its first Apple Silicon Macs released later in the year. Other manufacturers like Microsoft have also released Arm-based laptops in recent years.

First of the big three improvements coming with Armv9 is security. The new Arm Confidential Compute Architecture (CCA), attempts to protect sensitive data with a secure, hardware-based environment. These so-called “Realms” can be dynamically created to protect important data and code from the rest of the system.

Next up is AI processing. Armv9 will include Scalable Vector Extension 2 (SVE2), a technology that is designed to help with machine learning and digital signal processing tasks. This should benefit everything from 5G systems to virtual and augmented reality and machine learning workloads like image processing and voice recognition. AI applications like these are said to be a key reason why Nvidia is currently in the process of buying Arm for $40 billion.

But away from these more specific improvements, Arm also promises more general performance increases from Armv9. It expects CPU performance to increase by over 30 percent across the next two generations, with further boosts performance coming from software and hardware optimizations. Arm says all existing software will run on Armv9-based processors without any problems.

With the architecture announced, the big question is when the processors using the architecture might release and find their way into consumer products. Arm says it expects the first Armv9-based silicon to ship before the end of the year.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold vs Huawei Mate X2: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – Huawei’s second generation of its foldable smartphone comes in the form of the Mate X2, while Xiaomi’s foldable phone is called the Mi Mix Fold.

Both follow a similar design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series after Huawei changed the format of the folding device from its predecessor – the Mate X and Xs- moving from a foldable display on the outside, to an inward folding display.

If you’re in the market for a vertically folding smartphone, here is how the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold, Huawei Mate X2 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 compare.

Design

Mi Mix Fold: 173.3 x 133.4 x 7.6mm unfolded / 173.3 x 69.8mm x 17.2mm folded / 317g (Black) 332g (ceramic)
Mate X2: 161.8 x 145.8 x 4.4-8.2mm unfolded / 161.8 x 74.6 x 13.6-14.7mm folded / 295g
Z Fold 2: 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9mm unfolded / 159.2 x 68 x 16.8mm folded / 282g

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold has a vertical folding display in a book-style design, like the Huawei Mate X2 and Galaxy Z Fold 2. It comes with a glass or special edition ceramic back and there is a prominent camera housing in the top left corner. There’s a metal frame, large display and a single punch hole camera in the top right corner when folded.

When unfolded, the Mi Mix Fold has an 8.01-inch display and a precision based hinge. There is a small gap when folded though, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. It comes in Black or Special Edition Ceramic finishes.

The Huawei Mate X2 meanwhile, also features a vertical folding display. There’s a glass rear with a prominent rectangular camera housing in the top left corner, a metal frame and a full display with dual cut-out cameras on the front when folded.

When unfolded, the Mate X2 has a large 8-inch screen. The hinge is multi-dimensional, creating a water dropped-shaped cavity for the display when the phone is folded, allowing for no gap at all when shut, resulting in a different design to the Mi Mix Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 2. There’s also a wedge-like design that is just 4.4mm at the slimmest point. It comes in White, Black, Crystal Blue and Crystal Pink colours.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a similar form to the Huawei Mate X2 and Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold in that it offers a vertical fold in a book-style design. It too has a glass rear, with a rectangular camera housing in the top left corner, as well as a metal frame. Like the Mi Mix Fold, it has a single, punch hole camera on the front when folded but it is centralised rather than positioned to the right.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a slightly smaller 7.6-inch display than the Huawei Mate X2 and Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold. It’s hinge allows for multiple viewing angles but there is a slight gap at the fold of the device when folded. It comes in Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black colours.

Display

Mi Mix Fold: 8.01-inch unfolded, 6.5-inch folded, OLED, 90Hz refresh rate
Mate X2: 8-inch unfolded, 6.45-inch folded, 8-inch unfolded, OLED, 90Hz refresh rate
Z Fold 2: 7.6-inch unfolded, 6.23-inch folded, OLED, 120Hz refresh rate

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2520 x 840 resolution and a pixel density of 409ppi on the front when folded. It has a 27:9 screen ratio and a 90Hz refresh rate. There’s a punch hole camera in the top right, and the bezels are slightly larger than the Huawei and Samsung alternatives.

When unfolded, the Mi Mix Fold has a 8.01-inch display WQHD+ resolution, 1 billion colours and a 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a 60Hz refresh rate.

The Huawei Mate X2 has a 6.45-inch OLED display with resolution of 2700 x 1160 and a pixel density of 456ppi on the front when folded, making it fractionally smaller than the Mi Mix Fold, though with slimmer bezels. It features a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 90Hz refresh rate. As mentioned above, the X2 has dual punch-hole front cameras in the top left of the display.

When unfolded, the Mate X2 has an 8-inch OLED display with a 2480 x 2200 resolution, which results in a pixel density of 413ppi. The unfolded display has a ratio of 8:7.1. It too has a 90Hz refresh rate.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a 6.23-inch external display, making it slightly smaller than the Mate X2 and Mi Mix Fold. It too is an AMOLED panel and it offers a resolution of 2260 x 816 pixels and an aspect ratio of 25:9.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has an internal display of 7.6-inches – which is the smallest of the three devices being compared here. It’s Dynamic AMOLED and it has a 2208 x 1768 pixel resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 372ppi. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate and supports HDR10+.

Cameras

Mi Mix Fold: Triple rear camera (108MP + Liquid Lens 8MP + 13MP), 20MP front
Mate X2: Quad rear camera (50MP+16MP+12MP+8MP), 16MP front
Z Fold 2: Triple rear (12MP+12MP+12MP), 10MP front

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold has three lenses on its rear, with a 108-megapixel main sensor with 2.1µm pixels and a 7P lens, along with a 13-megapixel ultra wide angle lens with a 123-degree field of view.

There is also an 8-megapixel liquid lens on the rear that uses the principle of human eye bionics and a special chip created by Xiaomi to change the radius of curvature of the spherical surface. It allows the one lens to cover two functions, enabling 3x optical zoom, up to 30x digital and a minimum focus distance of 3cm. The front camera on the Mix Mix Fold is a 20-megapixel snapper.

The Huawei Mate X2 has a quad camera on the rear, which features Leica technology, like Huawei’s other flagship smartphones. The camera setup includes a 50-megapixel main sensor, 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, and an 8-megapixel SuperZoom sensor.

The main sensor has a f/1.9 aperture and OIS, the Ultra-wide sensor has a f/2.2 aperture, the telephoto sensor has a f/2.4 aperture and OIS with 3x optical zoom, while the SuperZoom sensor has a f/4.4 aperture, OIS and 10x optical zoom. The front camera is 16-megapixels wide angle with a f/2.2 aperture.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a triple rear camera, comprised of a 12-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel telephoto sensor and 12-megapixel Ultra-wide sensor.

The main camera has an f/1.6 aperture, dual pixel phase-detection autofocus and OIS, the telephoto lens has an aperture of f/2.4 and OIS and the ultra-wide sensor has an aperture of f/2.2. There is also a 10-megapixel front camera.

Hardware and specs

Mi Mix Fold: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 5G, 12/16GB RAM, 256/512GB storage, 5020mAh
Mate X2: Kirin 9000, 5G, 8GB RAM, 256/512GB storage, 4500mAh
Z Fold 2: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 5G, 12GB RAM, 256/512GB storage, 4500mAh

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset. It’s a 5G handset and it comes with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The Special Edition Ceramic model has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage though.

There’s a 5020mAh battery under its hood that supports Xiaomi’s 67W fast charging. The software is MIUI 12, based on Android 10 and there features like a one click option to close down things like GPS for security, as well as a Desktop Mode with a three-finger swipe.

The Huawei Mate X2 runs on Huawei’s own 5nm Kirin 9000 platform. It too is a 5G device. It is supported by 8GB of RAM and it comes in 256GB and 512GB storage variants.

It has a 4500mAh battery under the hood that supports Huawei’s 25W SuperCharge. Huawei’s own Harmony OS can be installed over the company’s usual EMUI interface running on top of Android.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, supported by 12GB of RAM and it comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options.

There’s a 4500mAh battery running the Fold 2, which supports 25W wired charging, 11W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. It runs Android with Samsung’s One UI over the top and there are some great multi-tasking features that make great use of the screen when unfolded.

Price

Mi Mix Fold: Equivalent of £1105/$1550, China
Mate X2: Equivalent of £1985/$2785, China
Z Fold 2: £1799, $1999

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold costs RMB 9999, 10,999 or 12,999, starting at the equivalent of $1550 or £1105. It will be available in China from 15 April.

The Huawei Mate X2 costs RMB 17,999 or 18,999, starting at the equivalent of $2785 or £1985. It is available in China only for now.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs £1799 in the UK and $1999 in the US.

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Conclusion

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold and Huawei Mate X2 is only available in the Chinese market at the moment but while the Mate X2 is a little more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, the M Mix Fold is cheaper.

On a spec-by-spec comparison, these three devices are similar and while the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold tips the scales in several areas, the other two devices have their fair share of wins too.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold has larger displays both interior and exterior than both the Huawei and Samsung. It also offers the most advanced Qualcomm chipset, the largest battery of the three devices, the fastest wired charging capabilities and it has an interesting camera setup with its liquid lens.

The Mate X2 arguably has a more streamlined design, an extra camera on the rear and a wide-angle front camera. It also has only fractionally smaller displays than the Mi Mix Fold.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has more RAM than the Mate X2 but the same as the Mi Mix Fold. It also has a higher refresh rate on the internal display though and it offers a more user-friendly software experience, as well as supporting Google services – the latter of which the Mate X2 does not offer. The Z Fold 2 has less cameras than Huawei but the triple rear camera does offer great results.

The Samsung is more widely available than both the Mate X2 and the Mi Mix Fold so while the Mi Mix 2 and Mate X2 might win on some specification areas, you’ll need to live in China to get your hands on them for now. It’s also worth remembering the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is tipped for a July 2021 launch.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E (11th Gen) Review

Introduction

After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD’s Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel’s last bastion of superiority.

Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to make up some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its Ryzen 9 5900X AMD rival in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year’s Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages.

First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel’s Z series platform has feature parity with AMD’s B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge.

The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E aims to be a durable, dependable platform for the mainstream market. The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E features a respectable 14-phase VRM that takes advantage of 50 A power stages from Vishay. Additionally, ASRock has included a 2.5 Gb/s LAN controller from Realtek as well as the latest WiFi 6 connectivity. The ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E has all the mainstream features most users need packaged in at a reasonable price. All that is left to see is how the ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E stacks up against the competition!

Specifications

Specifications
CPU Support:	10th / 11th Gen Intel Core Processors
Power Design:	CPU Power: 14-phase Memory Power: 2-phase
Chipset:	Intel Z590
Integrated Graphics:	Dependent on installed CPU
Memory:	4x DIMM, supports dual-channel DDR4-4800+ (OC) MHz
BIOS:	AMI UEFI BIOS
Expansion Slots:	2x PCIe x16 slots (x16/x4) 3x PCIe 3.0 x1 Slots
Storage:	6x SATA 6 Gb/s ports 3x M.2 ports* (SATA3/PCIe 3.0 x4)
Networking:	1x Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 Gb/s LAN 1x Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX210
Rear Ports:	2x Antenna Ports 1x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port 1x HDMI Port 1x DisplayPort 1.4 1x Optical SPDIF Out Port 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports 2x USB 2.0 Ports 1x RJ-45 LAN Port 5x HD Audio Jacks
Audio:	1x Realtek ALC897 Codec
Fan Headers:	7x 4-pin
Form Factor:	ATX Form Factor: 12.0 x 9.6 in.; 30.5 x 24.4 cm
Exclusive Features:	ASRock Super Alloy XXL Aluminium Alloy Heatsink Premium Power Choke 50A Dr.MOS Nichicon 12K Black Caps I/O Armor Shaped PCB Design Matte Black PCB High Density Glass Fabric PCB 2oz copper PCB 2.5G LAN Intel® 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E ASRock steel Slot ASRock Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink ASRock Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4) ASRock Ultra USB Power ASRock Full Spike Protection ASRock Live Update & APP Shop

MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X (11th Gen) Review

Introduction

Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to make up some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete with its Ryzen 9 5900X AMD rival in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year’s Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages.

The MSI Performance Gaming line, or “MPG” for short, from MSI is generally pitched as the middle ground between the no-holds-barred MEG line and more value-oriented MAG line. The MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X is an exception. Developed in partnership with and distributed by EKWB, the MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X features a monoblock for CPU and VRM cooling as well as all the tools you need to integrate it into your custom water-cooling build.

The MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X features a 16-phase Vcore VRM on a 6-layer PCB. There is also 2.5 Gb/s LAN and built-in WiFi 6E, as well as three M.2 slot heatsinks and even a physical RGB LED off switch. EK is including a leak test kit with the MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X, so you can build with confidence.

Let’s take a closer look at what the MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X has to offer.

Specifications

Specifications
CPU Support:	Intel 10th Gen or later processors
Power Design:	CPU Power: 17-phase Memory Power: 2-phase
Chipset:	Intel Z590
Integrated Graphics:	Dependant on installed CPU
Memory:	4x DIMM, supports dual-channel DDR4-5333 (OC) MHz
BIOS:	AMI UEFI BIOS
Expansion Slots:	3x PCIe x16 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) slots 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Storage:	6x SATA 6 Gb/s port 3x M.2 port (SATA3/PCIe x4)
Networking:	1x Intel 1225V 2.5G LAN 1x Intel WiFi 6E AX210 module
Rear Ports:	4x USB 2.0 ports 1x DisplayPort 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 5 Gbps Type-A 1x 2.5G LAN 5x Audio Connectors 1x Flash BIOS Button 1x HDMI port 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type-A 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps Type-C 2x SMA WiFi connectors 1x Optical S/PDIF Out
Audio:	1x Realtek ALC4080 Codec
Fan Headers:	8x 4-pin
Form Factor:	ATX Form Factor: 12.0 x 9.6 in.; 30.5 x 24.4 cm
Exclusive Features:	Custom EK monoblock EK leak test kit 2.5 Gb/s LAN Intel WiFi 6E Mystic Light Frozr heatsink design M.2 Shield Frozr PCIe Steel Armor Pre-installed I/O shielding

Codename: Urban Legends is a taste of what Niantic thinks 5G could do for AR gaming

Pokémon Go developer Niantic has unveiled Codename: Urban Legends, which it describes as “a multiplayer demo experience that offers a glimpse into the future of AR and 5G networks.” The game revolves around casting magic spells to kill monsters and rescue allies. It’s similar to Niantic’s previously released games, but the trailer includes a unique feature: multiple players interacting with the same augmented reality creatures from their own phones. Niantic says it’s just a demo at the moment and not for general consumer use.

It’s an exciting shift from Niantic’s previously released games like Pokémon Go, and the company says this is largely thanks to 5G. Although its games have had multiplayer elements, for the most part each player exists in their own augmented reality worlds. For example, while the same pokémon appear on the map for every player in Pokémon Go, each player can only view and interact with their own creatures in AR. In other words, you can’t throw a pokéball to catch someone else’s augmented reality pokémon. (Pokémon Go has a limited shared AR experience mode where you can see other players’ pokémon but not interact with them).

Codename: Urban Legends isbuilt on the same platform that underpins the augmented reality games Ingress, Pokémon Go, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Niantic hopes that AR gaming will be 5G’s “killer app,” benefiting from its higher speeds, lower latency, and ability to keep lots of people’s phones connected to the internet in a crowd.

Niantic says that carriers from its Planet-Scale AR Alliance — an organization formed of over half a dozen carriers around the world aimed at developing augmented reality 5G experiences — have been network testing the game. These include Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, Globe Telecom in the Philippines, and Verizon in the US. Niantic formed the alliance last year to promote and develop augmented reality experiences for 5G.

Although it’s a cool demo, Codename: Urban Legends’ reliance on 5G risks replicating some of the geographical issues that affected Pokémon Go. 5G coverage is currently concentrated in cities, meaning players living in more rural areas risk losing out (Codename: Urban Legends works on both Sub-6GHz and mmWave variants of 5G). It was a similar situation when city-dwelling Pokémon Go players benefited from having more pokéstops and gyms compared to players out in the countryside.

Today’s announcement doesn’t say when the demo might turn into a real game or on which phones it runs. However, Niantic tells us the game will be exclusive to its carrier partners’ customers once it releases.

Codename: Urban Legends is an interesting tech demo, and it has the potential to expand on Pokémon Go’s augmented reality features in some interesting ways. We just want to know when players will be able to dive in.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra vs Mi 11 Pro vs Mi 11 vs Mi 11i vs Mi 11 Lite: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has five phones within its Mi 11 range. Not all are available in all markets, but with so many options, it’s good to know how they all compare.

Here is how the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra stacks up against the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11, Mi 11i and Mi 11 Lite 5G. Which is the right Xiaomi Mi 11 device for you? Let us help you figure it out.

Design

Mi 11 Lite: 160.5 x 75.7 x 6.8mm, 159g
Mi 11i: 163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8 mm, 196g, IP53
Mi 11: 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1mm, 196g
Mi 11 Pro: 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.5mm, 208g, IP68
Mi 11 Ultra: 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.38mm, 234g, IP68

The Xiaomi Mi 11 devices all share similarities when it comes to design, though the Mi 11 Ultra has a much more prominent camera housing on the rear with a second display, setting it apart from the other four devices. None of them look identical, but you can tell they are from the same family.

All the five Mi 11 devices feature a punch hole camera on the front, all positioned in the top left corner, except the Mi 11i that has the front camera in the centre at the top of its flat display. The Mi 11 Lite also has a flat display, while the Mi 11, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra all have curved displays.

The material finishes and colours differ between all five models. The Mi 11 Ultra has a ceramic back, while the Mi 11 comes in glass and leather options. The Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11i and Mi 11 Lite all have a glass back with aluminium frames. Only the Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro are IP68 water and dust resistant, while the Mi 11i is IP53 rated. The other two have no official IP rating.

The Mi 11, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra are all a similar size, sharing the same display with an optical under-display fingerprint reader, while the Mi 11i and Mi 11 Lite are smaller, with the Mi 11 Lite being the smallest and lightest. Both the Mi 11i and Mi 11 Lite have physical fingerprint readers on their side.

Display

Mi 11 Lite: 6.55-inch, flat AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 (401ppi), 90Hz, HDR10+, 800nits
Mi 11i: 6.67-inch, flat AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 (395ppi), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300nits
Mi 11: 6.81-inches, curved AMOLED, 3200 x 1440 (515ppi), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500nits
Mi 11 Pro: 6.81-inches, curved AMOLED, 3200 x 1440 (515ppi), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500nits
Mi 11 Ultra: 6.81-inch, curved AMOLED, 3200 x 1440 (515ppi), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1700nits / 1.1-inch rear AMOLED display, 124 x 294

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 all have a 6.81-inch curved AMOLED display with a 3200 x 1440 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 515ppi. They all offer a 120Hz refresh rate and one billion colours. The Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro have a maximum brightness of 1500nits, while the Mi 11 Ultra ups this to 1700nits.

The Mi 11 Ultra also has a secondary 1.1-inch display on its rear within the camera housing. This secondary AMOLED display will show notifications, as well as rear camera selfie previews. It has a 294 x 124 pixel resolution and it’s an always on display.

The Mi 11i has a 6.67-inch flat display, so slightly smaller than the Mi 11, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra. It drops the resolution to Full HD+, resulting in a pixel density of 395ppi, but it retains the 120Hz refresh rate. It has a maximum brightness of 1300nits.

The Mi 11 Lite has the smallest display of the five devices being compared here, with a 6.55-inch screen, like the OnePlus 9. It has a Full HD+ display like the Mi 11i, though a sharper pixel density at 401ppi thanks to the smaller size. It drops the refresh rate to 90Hz though and the maximum brightness to 800nits.

All five Mi 11 devices support HDR10+.

Hardware and specs

Mi 11 Lite: Qualcomm SD780G, 6/8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage
Mi 11i: Qualcomm SD888, 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage
Mi 11: Qualcomm SD888, 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage
Mi 11 Pro: Qualcomm SD888, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage
Mi 11 Ultra: Qualcomm SD888, 8/12GB RAM, 256/512GB storage

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 and Mi 11i all run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. They all come with 8GB of RAM as a base model, but the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra are both available in 12GB of RAM models too.

The Mi 11i, Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro all have 128GB as the base storage too, with a 256GB option, while the Mi 11 Ultra has 256GB as a base and 512GB as the second option. All are 5G devices.

The Mi 11 Lite runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G chipset with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The model we are comparing in this feature is the 5G handset, though there is also an LTE model of the Mi 11 Lite.

None of the Mi 11 devices have microSD support for storage expansion, except the China model of the Mi 11 Lite.

The Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 and Mi 11i all have dual stereo speakers, while the Mi 11 Lite has dual speakers. None of the models feature a 3.5mm headphone jack and all support 24-bit audio. The Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro’s speakers are tuned by Harmon Kardon.

Battery and charging

Mi 11 Lite: 4250mAh, 33W fast charging
Mi 11i: 4520mAh, 33W fast charging
Mi 11: 4600mAh, 55W fast charging, 50W wireless, 10W reverse
Mi 11 Pro: 5000mAh, 67W fast charging, 67W wireless, 10W reverse
Mi 11 Ultra: 5000mAh, 67W fast charging, 67W wireless, 10W reverse

In terms of battery capacity, the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra both have a 5000mAh call under their hoods. They also both support 67W fast wired and wireless charging, along with 10W reverse wireless charging.

The Mi 11 has a slightly smaller 4600mAh battery with 55W fast wired charging, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.

The Mi 11i has a 4520mAh battery and the Mi 11 Lite has a 4250mAh battery. Both have 33W wired charging, but no support for wireless charging or reverse wireless charging.

Camera

Mi 11 Lite: Triple (64MP main + 8MP ultra wide + 5MP macro), 20MP front
Mi 11i: Triple (108MP main + 8MP ultra wide + 5MP macro), 20MP front
Mi 11: Triple (108MP main + 13MP ultra wide + 5MP macro), 20MP front
Mi 11 Pro: Triple (50MP main + 8MP telephoto + 13MP ultra wide), 20MP front
Mi 11 Ultra: Triple (50MP main + 48MP ultra wide + 48MP telephoto), 20MP front

All five of the Xiaomi Mi 11 devices being compared in this feature have a triple rear camera, but they are all made up of different sensors. They all have a 20-megapixel front camera though.

The Mi 11 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera sensor with an aperture f/2.0 and optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 48-megapixel ultra wide sensor with a f/2.2 aperture and 128-degree field of view and a 48-megapixel telephoto sensor with an aperture of f/4.1, OIS and 5x optical zoom.

The Mi 11 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera sensor with an aperture of f/2.0 and OIS, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with OIS and 5x optical zoom and a 13-megapixel ultra wide sensor with f/2.4 aperture and a 123-degree field of view.

The Mi 11 has a 108-megapixel main camera sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and OIS, a 13-megapixel ultra wide sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and a 123-degree field of view, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor with an aperture of f/2.4.

The Mi 11i has a 108-megapixel main camera sensor with an aperture of f/1.8, an 8-megapixel ultra wide sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 119-degree field of view and a 5-megapixel macro sensor with a f/2.4 aperture.

Finally, the Mi 11 Lite has a 64-megapixel main camera with an aperture of f/1.8, an 8-megapixel ultra wide sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 5-megapixel macro sensor with an aperture of f/2.4.

Conclusion

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro are similar in terms of specifications, though the Mi 11 Ultra has that second display on the rear, a more capable camera on paper, brighter main display, ceramic design and more storage as an option.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 sits just under the 11 Pro, offering the same display, but a smaller battery capacity, slightly slower charging capabilities and different rear camera makeup. It also doesn’t have the 12GB of RAM model option like the Mi 11 Pro and it isn’t waterproof.

The Xiaomi Mi 11i has a flat and smaller display over the Mi 11, a different camera make up again, a smaller battery and slower charging capablities again, as well as a lack of wireless charging support. It has the same core hardware as the Mi 11 though, as well as an IP53 rating.

The Xiaomi Mi Lite meanwhile is the most affordable in the Mi 11 pack, but it drops its camera capabilities compared to the Mi 11i, offers a smaller battery capacity, but the same charging capabilities as the Mi 11, a lower refresh rate display and a lower RAM model option.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

Xiaomi unveils Mi 11 Ultra smartphone with 7-inch, 120Hz OLED display

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi is gunning for the title of best Android phone 2021, and with the Mi 11 Ultra, it might have a pretty strong chance. The handset boasts a 6.8in OLED with a resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels, and a refresh rate of 120Hz. A high refresh rate means less blur – which is especially handy during fast-moving action scenes or gaming.

It also has a tiny 1.1in AMOLED screen on the back which can show notification alerts. Or you can use it to frame selfies with the main cameras.

The phone boasts a triple camera setup, offering a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide and 48MP telephoto (5x optical, 120x digital zoom) lens. And on the front? A 20MP selfie snapper.

The internal specs are just as impressive. We’re talking Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and a 5000mAh battery that supports 67W wired and wireless charging. The Mi 11 Pro can also juice up your other devices – just place them on the back and let the wireless charging tech do its thing.

Budget a little tighter? Xiaomi also launched a cut-price smartphone called the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G Lite at the same event. This offers a 6.55in AMOLED screen with an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. Despite being more affordable, it still offers 5G connectivity, and the 90Hz refresh rate is still better than a lot of pricier rivals (iPhones, we’re looking at you).

Camera-wise, it has a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide and 5MP telemacro lens (the latter is for up-close pictures). It too has a 20MP front-facer.

It’s the first phone with the Qualcomm 780G processor, and comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The 4250mAh battery has 22W wired charging.

Both phones should go on sale next month, joining the Mi 11 (which was announced in January but only went on sale recently). We’re still awaiting pricing details.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold vs Huawei Mate X2: What’s the difference?

Design

Display

Cameras

Hardware and specs

Price

Conclusion

ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E (11th Gen) Review

Introduction

Specifications

MSI MPG Z590 Carbon EK X (11th Gen) Review

Introduction

Specifications

Codename: Urban Legends is a taste of what Niantic thinks 5G could do for AR gaming

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra vs Mi 11 Pro vs Mi 11 vs Mi 11i vs Mi 11 Lite: What’s the difference?

Design

Display

Hardware and specs

Battery and charging

Camera

Conclusion

Xiaomi unveils Mi 11 Ultra smartphone with 7-inch, 120Hz OLED display

Xiaomi’s new flagship has a giant camera bump with its own OLED screen